Comments on: Free to Pursue Our Greatest Delight

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 23:05:45 +0000

Anonymous, seeing as this comment is the second one of its type you've posted (despite my first warning against posting things like this anonymously), clearly you have a personal problem with Begg. It's unacceptable for you to randomly post personal accusations like these on this blog to vent your anger–especially when you're doing so anonymously.
We would love to interact with you on-topic, and we encourage you to take part in discussions, but if you make any more anonymous off-topic accusations like these, your comments will be deleted and you will no longer be allowed to post to this site.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 21:59:22 +0000

Begg…you are a phony. How many times have you voted in the 25 years you have been in the U.S.? That is a good indicator of how grateful you are for your freedom. Never has there been a more hypocritical “pastor”.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 21:54:00 +0000

Amy, I responded to part of your poast and cited you here

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 20:08:06 +0000

Absolutely, I would certainly agree, as I do with just about everything you write . . .

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 19:45:17 +0000

Micah, this is a good clarification–thanks. I agree that our emotions vary. In the big picture, though, I think you would agree that there's a sweetness and joy of knowing and being with God that those who don't know Him can't understand (even if we go through miserable times or have dry spells). And God is still the greatest source of delight we could experience, even if we aren't receiving it at the moment. Actually, you've reminded me here of something else by Lewis I've been meaning to post. I'll put it up tomorrow.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 11:57:53 +0000

I definitely agree with your commentary Amy, I'm reminded of a great piece written by Peter Meilander (son of Gilbert) in First Things where he makes just the case you describe. I agree we can rejoice in our country as Christians, and I wish you a happy fourth as well. Not surprisingly, I'm much more inclined to agree with what you wrote than with what you quoted. I know there are many of the saints who describe their faith as Begg describes, but there are also many who did not find the Christian life to be one of consistent delight, pleasure, and happiness, but a life mixed with much duty, effort, and compulsion. The two that come to mind are Bonhoeffer and Mother Teresa, both of whom share how awfully difficult, dry, and lonely their faith often was. There is much truth in what Begg writes, but I submit that it is overstated, and can easily blend into an emphasis on feelings as indicative of the truth and reality of our faith. I'm reminded of two Lewis pictures here: one is the bear who falls fighting for Aslan in the Last Battle, who doesn't quite know what is going on, and dies saying, "I still don't understand." The other is in the Screwtape Letters where Screwtape articulates the "law of undulation" and writes in chapter eight:

"Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys."